


Instinct

by ConsultingCaffrey



Category: White Collar
Genre: because it was, can i call this youtube inspired?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 04:23:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12203808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConsultingCaffrey/pseuds/ConsultingCaffrey
Summary: Or five times the White Collar dads were there to save the day





	Instinct

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kanarek13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanarek13/gifts).



> I have been totally out of muse for a little bit but then I found a cute video on YouTube of dads saving their kids and this happened...
> 
> For some strange reason I thought about you, Kanarek. So here ya go. A gift to show my appreciation for you as a human being.

1\. Peter

They all loved Fridays. Or rather, the end of Fridays, because it meant they could go home to their families. Now that Peter and El had a son, the weekends were precious.

Tonight, they had planned a date night at home. Satchmo hadn't been doing so well and they both felt better being there with him to save him from little Neal's hyperactive toddling. The kid meant well, he did, but sometimes old Satch just couldn't take the excitement. He was almost twelve now, while Neal was pushing four.

On his way home, Peter had called to make sure that his wife knew he hadn't forgotten about their plans and she congratulated him sarcastically with a laugh. Oh how he loved her.

When he got home, she was waiting with lit candles and a kitchen that smelled so heavenly, it must be the second coming of Christ.

"Where's Neal?" he asked.

"In bed," she replied, setting out wine glasses for them and scolding Peter with her eyes when he left his shoes lying in a pile by the door. He quickly fixed them, then sat down at the table and looked over the perfect dinner. 

Elizabeth sat down as well, and her hand slipped into his. "How'd I do?"

"Impeccable, as always," Peter smiled.

"You haven't even tasted it yet," she beamed.

And he fully intended to, but a noise caught his attention. He didn't even know what it was, but for some reason, he was on his feet and dashing upstairs within a second, heart leaping in his chest.

He didn't have to go all the way up before spotting his son sprawled near the top across several steps. The only thing keeping him from falling further was the blanket around his neck, tied like a multicolored cape.

Peter quickly scooped Neal up in his arms and yanked the blanket free from where it had gotten caught on the corner. Eyes wide, he realized belatedly that the noise he'd heard had been his son choking.

"Neal? Hey, buddy. You okay?" he asked shakily.

By this time, El had raced up the steps beside him and turned on a light. She looked as terrified as he felt, and pale as a sheet.

Neal blinked up at them with wide, tearful eyes, but otherwise looked okay. "Batman never had that problem," he whined softly, apparently more upset by that than anything else.

Peter allowed himself to breathe and he held Neal close, eyes closed briefly. "Batman ain't got nothing on you, kid."

-)()(-

2\. Reese

He may have been retired, but that didn't mean Reese Hughes was getting dull with age. If anything, his years as an agent had sharpened him to a fine point.

When his daughter called, it took him less than five seconds to realize something was wrong. Her words were strong, and all she did was ask how he was doing, but he heard the note of something bad in her voice.

"Amanda," he started, "Would you like to come over for lunch?"

Her reply was delayed by a second as she realized she'd been seen through, but there was a smile in her voice as she replied quietly, "Yes, daddy."

He put all his plans on hold until further notice, then went about making her favorite food and dessert, just enough for the two of them. He cleaned up the house, set a vase of flowers on the table outside, then waited.

Amanda was still his little girl, despite being nearly fifty years old. She could never grow old in his eyes.

When she arrived, there was no doubt that she was upset, but neither of them talked about that. They spoke of other things instead, things like her photography and her children. He told her about his current investigation: The Case of the Misbehaving Lawn Mower.

The sun began to go down and Amanda was quiet for a long moment, during which her father sipped cold tea from his mug and listened to the city.

"John and I decided to get a divorce," she said.

Reese nodded. They had all seen this coming, unfortunately, but that didn't make it better. "Have you told the kids?"

She shook her head. "Max is already moved out and Skylar is almost out of high school... There's so much happening already. I can't..."

Tears pooled in his little girl's eyes and Reese didn't hesitate to get out of his chair and take three steps to reach her side. He pulled her up to wrap his arms around her in a gentle hug. 

"It's okay, sweetie," he murmured. "I'm here."

And he hoped he would be for a long time.

-)()(-

3\. Mozzie

Diana had no idea how he did it, which pleased Mozzie to no end. He liked his secrets, even if they were a secret even to him because if he were being completely honest, he didn't know either.

He liked to call it fatherly instinct. But he kept that to himself.

Little Theo was five years old, and five-year-olds lacked the majority of their sense of danger, it seemed. He would take tumbles and falls that continued to amaze Mozzie because they were just so avoidable. The kid must be lacking a few brain cells. Of course, he'd never mention that to Diana. She had already threatened to cut him off from babysitting duty at least a dozen times already. No need to make it unlucky 13.

His arm shot out to grab the child who missed a step on the stairs and nearly went faceplanting into the floor.

"Watch where you put those disproportionate little feet of yours."

"Sorry Uncle Teddy!"

Off he went again.

Diana stood up quickly to catch her son who wobbled on top of the kitchen chair he was standing on, but Mozzie had already walked over and casually caught him when he fell.

She looked immensely relieved as she took him in her arms, shaking her head. "I still don't know how you do that, but thank you."

He just held out his hand and she looked disgusted. "I'm not paying you for it!"

He shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to try."

-)()(-

4\. Clinton

He looked around, scanning the street for any sign of anyone he knew. Once he determined that the coast was clear, Jones opened the door, holding a bright pink My Little Pony backpack in one hand and his daughter's hand in the other. "Alright, sweet pea, let's catch the bus."

She pouted and dragged her heels. 

"I feel your pain," he sighed, pulling her along. "But trust me, school isn't so bad once you get the hang of it."

She refused to answer him, thinking that maybe the silent treatment would work. Tough luck for her because he was used to far more effective techniques used by far scarier people.

He let go of her hand when his phone rang, and as he dug in his pockets Josephine wandered further down the sidewalk, apparently deciding to get the whole school thing over with.

Movement out of the corner of his eye made Jones immediately drop everything -literally- and shout out, "Hey, hey!"

There was a dog that hung around the neigbborhood, didn't belong to anybody but he was a scary looking thing, all black with wiry fur that looked clumped in places. Nobody wanted to get near it.

And now it was trotting towards his daughter, head down, ears back, eyes wide, teeth bared, all signs of aggression.

Jones moved faster than he ever had before, picking up speed, and just before the animal got close, he swung his foot up to kick it right in the belly, hard.

It yelped and snarled, falling away, but getting back on its feet quickly. He was fully prepared to kick its ass, but luckily, it ran off with its tail between its mangy legs.

Scooping Jo into his arms, he hugged her close, asking, "Hey baby, you okay?"

She nodded, looking a bit stunned, and her little arms held tightly to his neck.

Her mother came running out of the house still in her bathrobe and Jones handed Josephine to her quickly, saying, "She's okay. Just a little shaken up."

And in true Josephine style, the little girl looked quickly at him with a grin. "Do I get to skip school?"

-)()(-

5\. Neal

"Manhattan still has the best coffee in the world. I'm convinced now," Neal said, pointedly taking another sip from his Starbucks cup.

Peter shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "Paris was too fancy for you?"

Neal didn't deny it, just gave a little tilt of his head and a quiet hum.

He lifted his cup out of reach when small hands sprang up from his other side. "Ah ah ah. Not for you. Trust me, you wouldn't like it."

His daughter scowled, as if he were depriving her of something life-changing and important.

"Anna," he warned. If she threw another tantrum in public, he was never taking her anywhere again. He'd already had several incidents, including the one that had gotten him banned from ever bringing her around the office again.

Peter just looked amused. "It gets better," he smirked. His own son was about twelve now, so his difficult years were only just beginning.

Neal sighed. "That's what they all keep telling me. Should I be worried?"

Anna had let go of his hand out of spite, and Neal turned to grab for it again, only to find her much further away than she should have been.

There was only time to see: child, car, distance.

He was moving before he even realized what he was looking at and he dashed out into the road, reaching down to grab his daughter and he held her close to his body as he tucked into a roll, no time to pull her back, only use his momentum to get them both out of harm's way.

He felt the breeze from the car and the hard pavement of the road on his back, heard the squealing of brakes, and somebody screamed something from across the street.

When he landed with Anna in his lap, sitting in the middle of the road, he checked her over before anything else.

She blinked, probably wondering what the hell had just happened, then her face crumpled and she started crying loudly.

Peter was there in a flash, asking quickly, "Are you two okay? Neal?"

Neal nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He got to his feet again, Ama sitting comfortably in his arms. He knew she was fine, just freaked out, but he hated hearing her cry like that.

"You really are some kind of Superman, aren't you?" Peter asked in exasperation.

Neal just grinned, not denying that either.


End file.
